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by wolfdancer333



Category: Trolls (2016), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-14 08:03:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14131728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfdancer333/pseuds/wolfdancer333
Summary: Poppy…..Or Gary?





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**Author's Note:**

> [Writing Prompt: Okay, this time, it’s NOT a Human AU!! Usually, I like writing the Trolls in a Human AU but this time, it's purely their little Troll selves. But! This was brought on by a friend on Tumblr! They questioned an angst writer to make a fanfic about Gary being a remote control and despite Branch’s affection for the remote, that he had a choice to save Gary, an inanimate object, or a real Troll in a life or death situation. Well, this is my result of thinking of this! My take is more on Branch’s feelings that save him rather than a psychological take but I still hope it’s enjoyable! ^_^]

There were so many things happening at once, Branch didn’t know what to feel at first. Fear. Fear was the prominent one, demanding his attention with it’s claws dug deep as he watched from the forest line. He was frozen, unable to move, hell he was pretty sure he wasn’t breathing. The branches he had been collecting had fallen to the forest floor a long time ago and he was left staring at his worst nightmare. It had been the start of a normal day. Poppy had come barging into his bunker at some odd hour, demanding he come with her and he had vehemently demanded that she leave so he could at least get dressed!

This left an awkward silence while they both flushed and Poppy stuttered she would just, uh, take Gary out for some air. And he trusted Poppy, he did, but the fear that had clutched his gut had made him shout to her. But Poppy being Poppy had promptly ignored him, holding Gary in her hair as she left his bunker, the lift raising both her and his son out of sight. And he hadn’t been able to explain the irrational fear in his gut.

This was Poppy! She would never hurt Gary! Branch had taken a second to think, right then, right as he was disrobing, and he paused. It felt like all of the world paused when the thought came to him: Gary had been with him through every tear, every nightmare, every fear, everything! But…..He, Branch, had created him. Gary was a remote control; he was made of metal and plastic. Branch knew this! He wasn’t an idiot and yeah, okay, he had some issues with society being away for more than ten years but he also knew Gary was more than _just_ a remote control.

Gary was his, well, friend. Metal and plastic or not. And then the world resumed it’s spinning, the Trolls resumed singing and dancing, and Branch resumed getting dressed, grinning ear to ear. First, to find the happy Poppy! And he might as well gather some much needed fire wood and supplies while he was at it! So, grabbing his leaf and bark backpack, he headed out to the forest to look for the supplies and find Poppy.

He found her trail pretty easy with a laugh. The glitter and felt from her scrapbooking made it easy to find her trail. He twitched his ears around, listening for her beautiful voice but was a little disappointed – nope, definitely was NOT disappointed – to hear nothing. And he slowed slightly as he realized the wrong picture that had made. Silence. In the forest. Feeling the first dredges of fear in his belly, Branch gathered some fallen branches as he trekked through the forest, watching and listening for any sign of pink.

It wasn’t until he stood at the edge of the gaping chasm he knew was there – why, oh why, hadn’t he made a fence around that stupid thing!? - and shrouded by the safety of the forest, did he see his worst nightmare. Gary. Gary was suspended by a leaf above the chasm, where a Hill Monster, sensing food was on high alert, licked it’s lips at the bottom. It’s huge, antenna eyes were blinking up at the suspended prey. But it wasn’t just Gary there. Poppy was hanging by a tree root, her hand grabbed tight around it and when he followed her line of sight to a purple hand grasping her own, his eyes widened.

Poppy and Creek! They were suspended above the monster too! But….Branch’s eyes flicked instantly to Gary, the little remote sliding ever so slowly off the giant leaf and towards the Hill Monster’s gaping mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

Time froze.

He stared at Gary’s square form, the eyes seeming to scream at him to do something and Branch felt the memories spinning within him. Crying and holding tight to Gary, screaming from horrible nightmares and talking them through with the metallic friend he had only known for ten years. He remembered changing Gary’s batteries and building in the brownie mechanism. He remembered building Gary to protect not only himself but all of Troll Village, a signal he was ready to incorporate back to society, to the people he belonged with, to Poppy and everything she made him feel.

But….Gary, he….Couldn’t let him die! He took a very small step toward the remote, his eyes on the shining metal in the bright sun’s rays but then his ears fell down at the loud cry of pain. His wide eyes shot to Poppy, her grip loosening on the root. Creek’s hair had wrapped around her middle, both of his hands now holding onto Poppy’s, and he could hear the guru’s frantic shouts for Poppy to throw him up and he would save them both, he would pull her to safety.

Poppy, kind beautiful loving Poppy with a heart of trusting gold…..She swung the traitor up with her hand, and when his hair wrapped around the tree, he swung himself up to the chasm’s lip. And when he turned to look down at her, shrugging apologetically and disappeared into the forest, Poppy’s eyes welled with tears. And Branch watched her, felt her pain as his own, his feet frozen and his heart undecided. Poppy…..Or Gary? Or chase Creek down and beat the living rainbows out of him!? Branch felt his hands clench, looking back at the horrific scene.

Gary was now barely hanging on to the edge of the leaf and the Hill Monster was now leaning more and more upwards, trying to reach the struggling girl who was now sobbing in fear and trying anything to pull herself up. But she was so tired from hanging there for who knew how long and now she didn’t have the strength to pull herself up. Not without help. Not without him. And the realization came to him: Poppy or Gary. He couldn’t save them both. And….Who was he going to save? Who was worth more to him?

It only took a second before his short legs fell across the grass as he dropped his backpack in the shrubbery surrounding the forest. As his feet hit the ground and he pounded toward Gary, slowly, gray began to swirl through the blue inside him, his colours fading. But, oddly, the fear never left. The dread stayed pooled in his heart and the fear in his belly. Even when he lunged for Gary only to look into those square yellow eyes.

He felt tears in his own eyes, his heart breaking for the friend who had been there for ten years, as he whispered, “Goodbye Gary.”

And then he watched as the remote, it’s yellow eyes staring at him in horror, fell into the Hill Monster’s gaping jaws. It’s sharp white teeth bit into the metal and Branch knew he would never forget the sound for as long as he lived. He watched the Monster crunch the metal down before it turned it’s attention to the gray Troll hanging from a branch in the trees that hung over the chasm. Branch met it’s hungry gaze and glared.

And then, he thought he was done, he thought that he could save Poppy but then he heard her scream. She hadn’t noticed him yet but as soon as she screamed for him – screamed his name as she fell to her death – something within him snapped into place. Something that hadn’t been there for ten years and something that a small metal remote had reminded him he needed. So when he grabbed the branch with his hand and swung his now black hair towards Poppy, he screamed her name, “Poppy!”

Her eyes snapped open and without a second thought, her pink hair curled and tangled through his own. The bond that connected Troll hair swirled between them and Branch felt the jolt he always felt when their hair connected, when he felt her connected to him in more than a physical way. He dangled her there and then immediately shot her upwards just as the Hill Monster snapped at where she had been dangling, it’s angry roar causing her to cry in fear and huddle into his hair. And Branch curled his black strands around her, his fear abating in the need to protect her.

He growled and with a vicious snap of his hair, had flung her off towards where he remembered his backpack being. His hair was still attached and when she landed, she seemed to know what he intended because she tightened her hair on his and jerked him towards her. He fell into their entangled hair and became wrapped up in pink arms and a sobbing Poppy. He held her tightly to him, hiding his head in her shoulder, his ear twitching against her own and their hair tangled all around them. They breathed each other in and Branch let his eyes fill with tears as he glanced down at the arms wrapped around Poppy to see that horrible gray.

He watched his gray skin against Poppy’s pink and felt the numbness begin to swirl inside him. Branch squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight it off. No! He needed Poppy! He loved her! And he wasn’t going to lose those feelings, not this time…..Gary didn’t die for this! Not a moment later, he felt two hands pulling his face up and he opened his ice blue eyes to look deep into Poppy’s sad magenta eyes. Her pink cheeks sparkled with glitter, her smile only a small quirk of her lips and more apologetic than he ever remembered seeing her. Her ears were turned down slightly and her hair, still tangled in his, was now rubbing against his in a caress.

He flushed slightly and her smile grew. This was intimate. Troll hair was sacred, it was a connection, and usually only family or lovers used it. But….Was it really too much for him that Poppy was here, with him, and their hair was connected and he wished he felt bad, he wished he felt like he was dead….But instead he felt relieved Poppy was safe? That he loved Gary…..But he loved Poppy _more_? More than brownies and memories and nights of crying? More than batteries and his bunker and everything he knew about who he was? He loved her more than he loved Gary and was it bad he didn’t feel _bad_?

He felt….Like something had come back, something he had long forgotten. Something Gary had been that without Branch knowing, Poppy had become and replaced. Something he hadn’t known he needed. He slowly inched his head towards hers, her eyes widening. He touched his nose to hers, nuzzling it gently, his eyes half lidded. He grabbed both of her arms and squeezed them, his hair – his black, coarse hair not meant to touch her beautiful silky strands – swirling deeper through her strands and causing her to flush down to her neck.

He chuckled and raised a hand to caress her cheek, his eyes roving her face. Not metal. Completely warm and sweet and Poppy. “Thank you.”

Poppy’s eyes finally seemed to notice him and her eyes softened, shoving his hands off her arms as she grasped his face again, her nose hesitantly nuzzling back against his. He saw her gaze travel over the gray of his face, his cheeks that now lacked their glitter, his hair now a charcoal black and not the beautiful cobalt like a night sky, and he noticed the way her eyes, when they met his again, held nothing but adoration. Her smile this time was sweeter than any candy he had ever remembered tasting.

She rubbed circles into his cheeks, her hair fighting his and slowly the strands moved to their upright positions. The strands of black and pink were so entangled together, they made a beautiful swirl of dark and light. And, without either Troll noticing, their hair formed a glowing heart above their heads, the strands moving, caressing.

Poppy swallowed, her voice coming out small. “No, thank you.”

And Branch couldn’t help the grin as he replied, feeling the way his heart lightened at the look in her eyes. “For what?”

Poppy blinked slowly, her own smile widening into the bright, wide grin he loved to see. “For making me happy.”

“And Branch?” Poppy looked to him, her eyes lidded and his eyes widened. “I don’t want normal. I want crazy and paranoid and safe Branch. Because….That’s the Branch who makes me happy.”

And Branch would deny his flush to the end of his life that swirled through his cheeks, down his neck, and even filled his ears. But Poppy’s laugh reminded him that this, _this_ , was why he could forgive himself for Gary.

He opened his mouth to say something, to maybe tell her that, but when her eyes fell to the forest floor and she could only look up at him sheepishly, regretfully, he paused. His eyes followed hers to her hands, where a strand of her hair was clutching something tightly. She let it drop to her hand and she let him see, her eyes filled with regret.

And Branch froze at the small, blue piece of metal lying there in her hands. Her voice reminded him of so many things at once. “Thank you…..For choosing me.”

Branch swallowed thickly, pushing the tears back, and let his hand fall from her face to the piece of metal in her hand. But as soon as his hand enclosed around it’s cool surface, both of Poppy’s hands covered his. They both held the shard of Gary tightly and finally, Branch’s hoarse voice came out in a near whisper, “There was never any choice. Poppy,” His eyes frantically sought hers and he lunged his nose forward, shoving his against hers in a rather vigorous nose nuzzle, causing her to giggle. “It will always be you. Always has been you.”

Poppy blushed, a soft smile lighting up her eyes in a way he had never seen. “Oh, Branch!”

Then she threw her arms around his neck, their hair reforming into a twisted spiral around them, and her lips gently touched his. And Branch felt the jolt he always felt around Poppy. When she grabbed his hand, when she looked at him, when she laughed. He felt it and he felt those tears from earlier burn his eyes when he felt the waterfall of colour pouring through him. He watched the strands of his hair flare into a glittery cobalt and he felt it when it fell through his face, his cheeks, down his neck. He watched the hands that came up to grasp Poppy’s cheeks as she kissed him flare into the familiar teal-blue colour.

And he kissed her back, his eyes closing. This is where he was meant to be, wrapped up in Poppy, in her hair, in her arms, in her kiss, in her love. And he loved Gary. But he loved Poppy _more_.

**Author's Note:**

> I am open to any and all polite and constructive criticism! :) Hope everyone enjoyed the story!


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